Wonder Ring, Match I : Valentine's Day By Sasha Rose-Claire “There it is! She's got that murderous look in her eyes... “She's turning her around, she's picking her up...AHH! THE VALENTINE DRIVER!” “Get the medics out here! By god, I think her opponent's spine has been folded in half!” “Wait! Kudome is going for the pin! She doesn't care about her opponent's welfare, she just wants the win!” “Goodness...what...a...monster.” 1….2….3! *ding ding ding* “And this match is, mercifully, over.” “I'm just glad it ended before any more damage could be done. But I can only imagine what everyone is thinking backstage after seeing this...this near massacre out here tonight…” ---- Backstage, Hilda Volkmire - co-founder and former commissioner of REDMAXX Wrestling - breathed a sharp sigh of relief. “Mayumi...your matches’re startin’ to get a little scary nowadays. I'm worried for you AND your opponents…” Deep down, however, Hilda felt kinda happy, in a strange way. She had known Mayumi Yoshino - the woman better known as “The Neo-Queen of the Ring”, Kudome Valentine - for...what, six, maybe seven years now? She had witnessed every stage of her growth through the years - from a plucky new face, to a rebellious yet silent anti hero, then to a cocky champion, and now a monstrous, destructive (and sometimes mildly seductive) heel. Still, no matter what persona Kudome put on for the audience, her and Hilda remained solid friends, both in and out of the ring. Yet, somehow, in this moment, some reoccurring thoughts began to creep back into Hilda’s mind… “Ah! Hilda, you’re still here...” Hilda’s train of thought was, for better or worse, interrupted by the sudden arrival of Kudome, her skin still shimmering slightly from the sweat that came with working a long, tough brawl. The dark facepaint signifying her status as a monster heel was already starting to peel off and show the true face, the face of Mayumi, that lied beneath. “You were watchin’ me back here, huh? How’d I do? You think I got the crowd riled up?” Hilda grinned a little sheepishly. “I think you did fine out there. Still think the Twitter folks are gonna take your side though.” “Ahhhh, I’m not worried about them too much. I am, however worried about you right now.” “Huh? Why so? I didn’t take too many hits in my match earlier, did I?” “No, no, it’s not that. You’re uh...you’re still wearing your ring gear.” Kudome took a few sniffs of the air around the locker room. “Your very sweaty ring gear.” Hilda paused in shock. She hadn’t thought about that until now. In all her excitement to see Kudome’s main-event match, she’d completely forgotten about her hygiene entirely. “Come on, Hilda. Let’s hit the showers. We can chatter more in there.” ---- The warm water flowed down Hilda’s bleach-blonde hair, down her back and legs. After a hard day of fighting, it felt good. Relaxing, even. She felt like she could lower her guard just a little… “Hey Hilda, I gotta ask you something.” “Huh? What’s up?” Kudome shut off her shower. Hilda followed suit. “We’ve teamed together so many times, been on the card together so many times, and yet...not once have we ever fought. You’ve booked so many matches for yourself, but never against me. I’ve always wanted to know...why?” “Well...to be honest, I’m intimidated.” “Intimidated? By my persona in the ring? I mean it’s not really representative of me, save for a few things…” “Well, no, it’s not that.” Hilda looked down at her feet, putting her hand on the shower wall to keep balance. “It’s the Valentine Driver. That move...it’s so dangerous. But it’s a crowd-pleaser. I feel like if you didn’t use it in a match with me, the match wouldn’t work out, it wouldn’t have that extra oomph. That oomph of two long-time friends finally coming to terms with each other, pulling out everything they have. But....well, an underhook piledriver is scary. If you and me don’t perfectly get everything right...that’s it. I might as well hang up my boots then and there.” “I see...you value wrestling that much, huh…” “I’m afraid to leave the business so soon. I feel like I still have a lot to learn, a trail to blaze. I’ve trained so much to become a far better wrestler than what I used to be, I don’t want that to go to waste.” Kudome placed her hand on Hilda’s shoulder. “I understand. You and I, we’ve seen a lot, but even I feel like I’m far from done. Now come on, let’s get toweled off and into some clothing that doesn’t stink.” ---- Several minutes later… Hilda, now decked out in a track jacket, jeans, and sneakers, stretched outside the arena, near the back entrance. “Gawwwd. The shower’s nice and fine till it’s over, then your body reminds you how much pain you’re in. Even after all this time, I’m still not used to the feeling.” Kudome, in a far more formal business-suit attire - a stark contrast to her wild, unpredictable ring gear (though her soft pink hair remained present) - buttoned up her cuffs, ready for the world at large. The two of them started walking to the parking garage near the arena, talking more along the way. “Hey, Mayu, how’s about some dinner on me tonight? I’m cravin’ steak really bad...plus the payout was pretty big tonight…” “Hmm...that actually sounds nice. Why don’t we go to that place downtown...Roadhouse, I think it was called?” “Oh hell yeah! They got the good 10oz steaks there!” “Hey...since we’re going there together, how would you like to share a ride on my bike?” “H-huh?” “I mean, it would save you some money, wouldn’t it? I think it’s a fair exchange. You get the steaks, I’ll ride you there.” Hilda nodded in approval. Anything that would save her a couple of bucks was always a good deal. Plus, if she was riding with Kudome then she could… *VROOM* Her train of thought was suddenly interrupted by a very loud bike engine starting. In the short span of time since she had started contemplating things, her pink-haired compatriot had gone on without her, and was already about ready to go. Hilda ran to catch up with her, following the sound of her bike - by the time she got there, Kudome was on her bike, holding a helmet out towards Hilda. “You coming or what?” Without a second thought, Hilda grabbed the helmet, leapt onto the back of the bike, and put it on. Her friend subsequently strapped her own helmet on, revved up the engine, and the two of them took off into the crowded New York streets. Hilda had rode on a bike many times before now, but something felt different about this particular ride. Being on a bike with someone close to her like Kudome...it gave her a sense of comfort amongst the harsh wind and loud noises around her. Unconsciously, lost in the trance of the situation, Hilda’s position shifted on the bike - she went from holding her hands on the back of the bike, to putting her arms around Mayumi’s waist and laying her head on her back… Before she knew it, they’d arrived at their destination. Suddenly becoming aware of what she’d done during the ride, she quickly scrambled off the bike and postured herself like nothing was wrong. Kudome, thankfully, didn’t seem to notice. She stretched again, excitedly rubbing her stomach. “Alright, it’s steak time!” Kudome giggled a little bit under her breath, and the two went inside. -About an hour or so later…- Kudome and Hilda rolled back into the parking garage, next to where Hilda’s car was still parked. “Maaaan, that was a good suggestion. A+ steaks. Fantastic. Amazing.” “Mhm, though I think they cooked mine a little too well…” “Ahhh...nevertheless, this was a good night. But I think the pain of the show is comin’ back to me, and I need to get home and get some rest ASAP. Remind me to talk to Sakura about that ringside spot later, that one’s still sore...” Hilda got off the bike, and started to get into her car, but the sudden lack of bike noise, and the equally sudden presence of Kudome behind her, caught her by surprise. “Mayumi, is something up?” “Well, I have one more thing for you tonight.” “Wait, wha-” Without any provocation or warning, Kudome grasped Hilda by the chin and pulled her in for a deep kiss. Hilda was surprised at first, but immediately surrendered herself to the wave of pleasure that overwhelmed her. Kudome leaned back out. “You're terrible at hiding a crush, you know.” “Wait, huh? What do you mean?” “Look, I may play a monster, but I'm not as dumb as one. I've seen you watching my matches backstage.” “But...every wrestler does that, don't they?” “You only watch /my/ matches backstage. And you watch them with such intensity...at least that's what others have told me.” Hilda’s face turned flush. “I still don't think that means anything, though…” “That's why I invited you on the ride tonight. It was...a final test of sorts? Like...I noticed you hugging me. And it felt really nice.” Hilda’s posture shrank, but Kudome hugged her and held her close to her chest. “It's okay. You don't have to be afraid of admitting your feelings…” “I...I...okay, yeah, it's true, I've had a crush on you since we tag teamed together back in the day. And since you started your current heel run, something about the way you carry yourself just...made me more attracted to you. But I didn't wanna say anything, I didn't know if you'd feel the same…” Kudome petted Hilda’s head. “Hilda. Hilda. It's okay. I'm gay as hell too, you know.” Hilda snapped out of her stupor. “What?” “Literally, have you seen that one move I do where I'm crawling up all over someone sensually before headbutting them? That sort of sensuality has to come from SOMEWHERE.” “Goddammit...haha…” Hilda started giggling intensely. “So then...you want to try something steady then?” Kudome smiled. It was a warm smile, almost antithetical to the character she played. “Sure. Why the hell not.” The two mutually went in for another deep kiss, enjoying each and every second. It was the most important victory of Hilda’s entire career. THE END. WINNER, BY SUBMISSION: KUDOME VALENTINE.